Formula One’s lawmakers are launching a full investigation after the rain-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix turned into an absolute circus, leaving drivers like Lewis Hamilton calling it a “Lego race” and Max Verstappen questioning the sport’s direction. Verstappen ultimately navigated the chaos to claim his first triumph of the year at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, but what went down before the green light was given? It was embarrassing and unprecedented.
Formula One’s New Cars Just Couldn’t Handle It
Forty minutes after the initial getaway for the Bahrain Grand Prix was already pushed back due to a deluge of rain, F1 bosses had to completely abandon the start. Why? Because this season’s new cars, which have already faced stern criticism, effectively failed to work in the wet. A number of drivers, including Verstappen and Hamilton, were struck by gremlins directly linked to the controversial 50-50 split between combustion and battery power on the formation lap, and their cars simply couldn’t operate. Pole-sitter Verstappen was the first to complain, saying he couldn’t accelerate. His crawling pace had a knock-on effect, and Hamilton, running behind Verstappen in his Ferrari, then hit trouble himself. “I am pressing the throttle, and nothing is happening,” Hamilton said, before stopping at the side of the track. A whole host of other drivers also struggled just to keep their engines running in what was the first meaningful wet running for this generation of car.
Verstappen Laughed, Hamilton Got Frustrated, and Everyone Waited
Verstappen, who has publicly threatened to quit the sport because of his disdain for the new regulations, eventually got up to speed. You know what he did when he saw some of the other cars parked at the side of the track? He just laughed and shook his head, exclaiming “Look at this” over the radio. The grid eventually limped back to the pit-lane, leading to a further 53 minutes passing before the green light was finally given. We didn’t get an explanation for that massive delay at the time, but it later emerged that new software had to be downloaded to all the cars. After two laps behind the safety car, it was finally a standing start. Verstappen took the chequered flag 2.3 seconds clear of Kimi Antonelli, who finished second. Hamilton completed a fine comeback drive from 18th to grab the final spot on the podium. George Russell, unfortunately, retired from third with an engine issue, a moment that left his world championship dream all but over.
Reflecting on the absolute mess, Verstappen said, “These engines are so complicated, and a lot of software is implemented.” He added, “I triggered it first, and then I looked in my mirror, and I was like, ‘Wait, are they waiting for me?’” Sitting next to him in the post-race news conference, Hamilton chimed in with his “It was like the Lego race” comment. Verstappen just shook his head again, “What can you say? That’s not what you want for the sport.” Hamilton added his own frustration: “I had to stop on track and stop the car and engine and restart it. I’ve never done that before. I hope there is a lesson learned.” The FIA, meanwhile, said in a statement that an “unprecedented combination of low engine speed, low-grip conditions, wet-weather energy management settings and the Sepang circuit’s sector configuration led to an unintended loss of power for a number of cars,” which led them to remove an energy limit constraint through an updated software release. It sounds like this is far from over.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply